Eating disorders are among the most relevant mental disorders in the 21st century and have become very important for health care systems in the last decades. In particular, anorexia nervosa represents one of the most severe diseases in adolescence and young adulthood, with the highest mortality rate among all mental illnesses. The growing importance of eating disorders as a challenging problem for societies and health care systems is increasingly reflected in international classification systems for mental disorders. Binge-eating disorder will be included as a separate diagnosis in the upcoming ICD-11, just as it is already in DSM-5. Also, the increasing prevalence of obesity is one of the main challenges in future. The WPA Section of Eating Disorders has been in existence for many years and aims to promote international networking in the field of Eating Disorders and an exchange on different treatment approaches for eating disorders worldwide.